Thursday, August 23, 2012

Chato

During our most recent trip to Los Angeles, I had a unique opportunity to re-unite with a very important person in my life. His name is Pablo Arnoldo, but many of his friends and family call him Chato.

Twenty years ago, his family welcomed me into their home and into their hearts when I was a missionary in Guatemala. They treated me as if I were one of the family, but more importantly, they experienced a total change of heart when they accepted God. Sometimes people talk about religious conversion as if it were a commodity to be sold by televangelists and preachers of religion, but this was the real thing. Even as my beliefs have changed over the years, their experience still inspires me. I am especially humbled to know that I had a small part in their transformation.

About three years ago, Chato's father Arnoldo was killed in a terrible accident. He was also a very important person in my life, and when he died, I suddenly became awake to how I have allowed this cherished relationship to suffer the neglect of time. Arnoldo's death set in motion my eventual return to Guatemala.

Several months ago, we started planning our trip, and it seemed as though an invisible hand continued to guide my path. I don't really believe in coincidence, but it just happened that Chato and I were in Los Angeles on the same day. We arranged to meet in the home of Arnoldo's sister. We got lost along the way, but we eventually found the right street. We had a wonderful reunion! Twenty years of separation did not diminish the devotion I feel for Chato and his family.

In his own way, Chato opened the door for my return to Guatemala. More on that later.

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About Me

This blog began as a way to stay in touch with family and friends, but my purpose has expanded to include indigenous cultures, spirituality, nature connection, and family history.
My blogging is sustained by a few guiding values. First, my blog should add value to the world. Second, much of what I write points back to simple things like spending time with loved ones or connecting with the earth. Finally, I prefer to write about my own first-person experiences. My greatest contribution to the world is to live courageously and to always speak from my heart.

Sulustu is pronounced: soo-loo-stoo, (with emphasis placed on the last syllable).

Father

"Take away all doubts, all fears, and only your spirit remains: pure love; that is as close to our Creator as we can be." ~Ed Moses

"It is the same for all men. None of us can escape this shadow of the father, even if that shadow fills us with fear, even if it has no name or face. To be worthy of that man, to prove something to that man, to exorcise the memory of that man from every corner of our life—however it affects us, the shadow of that man cannot be denied." ~Kent Nerburn

"The first thing I learned was respect for all things, because everything has a spirit." ~Ed Moses

"My religion starts from the heart." ~Ed Moses

"Songs made from dreams hold their power forever. Any power given in a dream is a gift from the spirit to help the people." ~Ed Moses

Rhonda

"When you hear the music, own it and let your body move in whichever way it takes you. Dance your life. Trust your spirit the way you trust the music." ~Rhonda Moses

"Happy marriages begin when we marry the ones we love, and they blossom when we love the ones we marry." ~Tom Mullen

Dakota

"Until you have a son of your own . . . you will never know the joy, the love beyond feeling that resonates in the heart of a father as he looks upon his son. You will never know the sense of honor that makes a man want to be more than he is and to pass something good and hopeful into the hands of his son. And you will never know the heartbreak of the fathers who are haunted by the personal demons that keep them from being the men they want their sons to be." ~Kent Nerburn

McKenna

"What I wanted most for my daughter was that she be able to soar confidently in her own sky, whatever that may be." ~Helen Claes

Whitney

"A daughter is a gift of love." ~Author Unknown

"My Daughter has made the darkness in my heart light up brighter than I ever thought possible. My Daughter gives me a reason to live and try each and every day. I cannot thank our Lord enough for blessing me with her. And as blessings come, so do disappointments. There are trials and rewards throughout everyone's life. My Daughter had helped me through the most difficult times of my life. I can only pray she will allow me to be there for hers." ~Georgene Maciolek

Anthony

"Never cease loving a person, and never give up hope for him, for even the prodigal son who had fallen most low, could still be saved; the bitterest enemy and also he who was your friend could again be your friend; love that has grown cold can kindle.” ~Soren Kierkagaard

Derrick

"It is not flesh and blood, but heart which makes us fathers and sons." ~Friedrich von Schiller